Ruinas de Sao Paulo

Obligatory shot in front of the ruins Ruins of St. Paul peeking at Travessa da Paixao

The Ruins of St. Paul refer to the facade of what was originally the Church of Mater Dei built in 1602-1640, destroyed by fire in 1835, and the ruins of St. Paul College, which stood adjacent to the Church. As a whole, the old Church of Mater Dei, St. Paul’s College, and Mount Fortress were all constructed by Jesuits.

Tip: You wouldn’t get hungry on your way up here as there are food stores offering a free taste of different snacks, enjoy eating! haha (Only on regular store hours). Want to avoid the sea of people and just enjoy the view itself? Then try to wake up as early as you can, catch the sunrise or better yet the perfect time is around 6:30-7 am and take as many shots as you can! :).

On the left side of the Ruins there’s an alley called Travessa da Paixao. It was created during the 1920’s and actually it is a Portuguese name which implies passionate feeling and respect for the religion at that time due to its visual connection with the Ruins of St. Paul. However, in Chinese, they call it the “Love Lane”. I found this Instagram-worthy-spot before at Instagram and I included it on my itinerary. Isn’t it cute? it has an old Portuguese house feel on it and the popping color of pink is just perfect!